What Is Form 5500?
Form 5500 is the annual return/report that employee benefit plans file with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), IRS, and PBGC to satisfy ERISA and Internal Revenue Code reporting requirements. It's the primary public window into a plan's finances, participants, and service providers.
Last updated June 5, 2026
Who has to file a Form 5500?
Most pension and welfare benefit plans covered by ERISA must file annually. That includes 401(k) and other defined-contribution plans, defined-benefit pension plans, and funded health & welfare plans. Filing is done electronically through the DOL's EFAST2 system, and the data (except 5500-EZ) is published publicly.
- Defined-contribution plans (401(k), profit-sharing, ESOP, money purchase)
- Defined-benefit pension plans
- 403(b) plans subject to ERISA
- Funded welfare plans, and unfunded/insured welfare plans with 100+ participants
Form 5500 vs. 5500-SF vs. 5500-EZ
Which form a plan files depends mostly on size and structure:
- Form 5500 (the full form) — large plans, generally 100+ participants. These attach schedules such as Schedule H (financials) and Schedule C (service-provider compensation).
- Form 5500-SF — the short form for most small plans (generally fewer than 100 participants) that meet certain conditions. SF filers do not file Schedule C, so small plans don't publicly disclose their service providers.
- Form 5500-EZ — one-participant (owner-only) and certain foreign plans. Filed with the IRS and not published in the public EFAST2 dataset.
What's in the schedules?
- Schedule A — insurance contract information
- Schedule C — service-provider compensation (large plans)
- Schedule D — participation in pooled investment entities (DFEs/CCTs)
- Schedule H / I — large-plan / small-plan financial statements
- Schedule R — retirement-plan distribution and funding information
- Schedule SB / MB — actuarial information for defined-benefit plans
What is Form 5500 used for?
Form 5500 serves two audiences. For the government, it's how the DOL, IRS, and PBGC monitor that ERISA plans are funded, administered, and disclosed properly. For everyone else, it's a public dataset: because filings are public, anyone can look up a company's plan assets, participant counts, the recordkeeper and custodian it uses, audit firm, and (for the largest plans) the underlying investment holdings.
That makes Form 5500 a powerful tool for benchmarking fees, researching providers, prospecting, and tracking down an old plan — start with a Form 5500 lookup by company name or EIN.
The largest Form 5500 filers by participants
Real plans from the public DOL data, ranked by active participants. Open any one to see exactly what a filed Form 5500 reports.
| Plan / sponsor | Assets | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| WALMART INC. WALMART 401(K) PLAN · AR | $50.8B | 1,670,732 |
| WALMART INC. WALMART INC. ASSOCIATES' HEALTH AND WELFARE PLAN · AR | $902.6M | 1,650,312 |
| TRUSTEES OF INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD TEAMSTERS VOLUNTARY EMPLOYEE BEN INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS VOLUNTARY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS TRUST · DC | $24.0M | 1,251,183 |
| AMAZON.COM SERVICES, LLC AMAZON 401(K) PLAN · WA | $34.6B | 1,207,759 |
| AMAZON.COM SERVICES, LLC GROUP HEALTH & WELFARE PLAN · WA | — | 1,194,891 |
| WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC. WAL-MART NON-EXEMPT SEVERANCE PAY PLAN · AR | — | 783,999 |
| PAYCHEX RETIREMENT LLC PAYCHEX POOLED EMPLOYER 401(K) PLAN · NY | $1.8B | 621,703 |
| ADP TOTALSOURCE, INC. ADP TOTALSOURCE, INC. HEALTH AND WELFARE PLAN · FL | $63.1M | 530,781 |
| FEDEX CORPORATION FEDEX CORPORATION VOLUNTARY INSURANCE PLAN · TN | — | 515,982 |
| GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES HEALTH ASSOCIATION, INC. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES HEALTH ASSOCIATION, INC. VOLUNTARY WELFARE BENEFIT PLAN · MO | $2.9M | 493,410 |
Frequently asked questions
Most ERISA-covered pension and welfare plans must file annually — 401(k) and other defined-contribution plans, defined-benefit pensions, ERISA 403(b) plans, and funded welfare plans (plus unfunded/insured welfare plans with 100+ participants). Certain government and church plans are exempt, and one-participant plans file Form 5500-EZ.
It satisfies annual ERISA and Internal Revenue Code reporting to the DOL, IRS, and PBGC. Because the data is public, it's also widely used to benchmark plan fees, identify a company's recordkeeper or advisor, research providers, and locate old retirement accounts.
Yes. Form 5500 and 5500-SF filings are published by the DOL through EFAST2 and are freely searchable. Form 5500-EZ (one-participant plans) is filed with the IRS and is not part of the public dataset.
Each Form 5500 covers a single plan year. Plans choose a plan year (often the calendar year), and the form reports that year's financials, participant counts, and service providers.
Related guides
- Form 5500 Due Date 2026 — Deadlines, Extensions & Penalties
- Form 5500 Schedule C Explained: Service Provider Fees
- Form 5500 Codes: Plan Characteristic & Service Provider Codes
- How to Find a Company's 401(k) Provider
- What Is a 401(k) Plan Sponsor? Definition & How to Find One
- Form 5500 Lookup & Search — Find Any Plan's Filing Free
- Form 5500-SF Explained: Who Files the Short Form